The use of a gold pan for removing precious metals from streams and river beds is well known. Prospectors have used the gold pan for over a century, most infamous being the prospectors of the great California gold rush. In reality, prospecting for gold is based upon a combination of luck and definitive scientific principles. Luck being self explanatory, scientific principles include the use of gravity for separation simplified by a circular "pan" to enhance the gravity separation process. Those prospectors astute to the principles of separating heavier matter from lighter matter were usually successful.
The use of the gold pan allowed the prospector create an abrasive environment for breaking up loosely bound solids as well as create a miniature cyclone effect to enhance separation. Typically, gold pans were made of metal having a concave central portion wherein a slurry of water and matter, such as the sand from the bottom of a river bed, would be placed and circulated along the inner surface of the pan. Normally, heavier matter settled to the bottom of the pan, however, unless the prospector knew to first remove larger matter, the separation would not occur as the larger matter would mask or entrap the precious metals. Further, even if larger matter was broken into smaller pieces, the prospector would need to circulate the slurry in a wobbling manner to dislodge the precious metals being careful not to allow precious metals to flow over a side of the pan with discarded slurry. Thus, the successful prospector acquired an exceptional skill to overcome the lack of technology.
Gradually gold pans were enhanced to assist in the separation process. The use of stepped indentations in the side of a pan created laminar areas giving heavier matter a location in which to settle. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,969 issued Jul. 31, 1979 to Lagal illustrates an apparatus for separating material utilizing a round pan having a concave center portion and steps to assist in matter separation. However, while this gold pan assisted in the separation, its circular design exemplifies the problems associated with all prior art employing circular designs including: lack of a means for inducing agitation; inability to use a circular pan for scooping; inability to use a circular pan to trap falling matter; uniform side height prevents ease of matter removal; and the conventional gold pan does not have a means for incorporating a classifier
U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,241 issued Sep. 15, 1981 to Litrap illustrates a rectangular gold pan used in combination with a classifier. Litrap's rectangular pan prevents use of the well known swirling technique and utilizes a flat classifier lacking a means to break up larger matter. Further, the classifier fails to allow the prospector from removing water while the classifier is attached.
Heretofore, no teaching is made of a gold pan that employs an elliptical shape having various wall sizes, employing both steps and ridges, and with which a classifier is operatively associated with the gold pan. The present invention is directed to a gold pan with classifier that overcomes the shortcomings and problems associated with the prior art. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of these shortcomings problems that the gold pan with classifier of the instant invention is directed.